Thoughts on full strut decoys

[guesswho]

To the Ney-sayers

     Please expand on your opinions, have you used them? What are your reasons for being against them?

The odds are already against a gobbler.  I see no need in worsening those odds.  And yes I have used them.  I never killed a bird over deke's that I felt like I truly earned.  But to each his own.

[sbraham]

I have used a strutter decoy for the last 5 years i think. I havnt had any birds skirt around or run from it. Some birds will check up some maybe 10 to 20 yards from them if the decoy is facing them. I learned to face the strutter with its back facing the gobbler. They dont seem to mind attacking from the rear. And i dont have the dekes more than 10 to 15 yards from me, just in case they do check up 20 yards out they are still dead. I hunt private ground with sole permission.

[Cut N Run]

I've killed two gobblers using a strutter decoy, but I have only used it 3 times so far.  The first gobbler was an anti-social S.O.B. who'd go the other way anytime you tried calling to him with ANYTHING.  He stayed around a harem of hens and roosted on a knoll where middling age pines had heavy undergrowth.  The was just no getting under his roost without him knowing about it or busting them all off the roost. There certainly wasn't a tree wide enough to hide a man up there either. There was a 15 yard wide section of a logging deck fairly close to the roost, but the turkeys tended to avoid that area.  One day it started raining in early afternoon and continued through the night.  I was able to use the damp ground to slip in to the logging road extra early, unnoticed.  The rain eased off just before sunup and I was sure they'd most likely head to the nearest open area where trees weren't dripping on them, which was that logging deck.  I heard the hens tree talking and the gobbler let a few gobbles out before they started flying down.  I'd placed a feeding hen decoy and a strutter about as far in front of me as I could get (17 yards).  I clucked a few times quietly on a mouth call and got clucks back from the hens, then a gobble from the ground. 

The hens started filtering out through the undergrowth about 20 yards to my right, entering the deck.  I heard the gobbler spitting & drumming behind me, then he emerged from the brush about 25 feet to my right.  The way he took out after that decoy was pretty spectacular.  He hit it so hard that the real tail flew 15 feet from where the decoy had been and his impact snapped the decoy stake half in two.  He also spurred two holes in the side of that decoy the diameter of an ink pen. I busted the gobbler with a load of Hevi #6s at 16 yards.  He was 23+ pounds, had 1.25 inch spurs, and a 10.75 inch beard.  He'd also worn the feathers bald on his breast from covering so many hens.  I probably would have killed him that morning without decoys, just by knowing their nature and how turkeys tend to go to openings when rain is dripping in the woods.

When I cleaned that gobbler I found 7 copper plated #6s in him from last year.  No wonder he was so call shy and spooky.  A few days after I removed him, we started getting all kinds of gobbling activity around that property.  He was a good one to take out.

The other gobbler I killed with a strutter was last year.  I took a fan from a mature gobbler I'd killed a few years before and bought one of those collapsible turkey tail fan kits where it can be displayed open, or closed up for transport.  Instead of using the feathers full length, I left several in the middle of the fan long and cut the lower ones short, making a jake fan out of it.  The gobbler came out of some selective cut pines and walked right to that decoy before I shot him.  I had scouted this gobbler many days before the season and saw where he regularly exited the woods, then I set up farther back down a logging road in his normal route of travel where he could see the decoy along a path.  He didn't savagely attack it, but he was interested & kind of agitated it was there. Again, I most likely would have killed this bird without a decoy of any type.

So far, I haven't had turkeys shy away from that strutter (that I know of), but I haven't used it very much.  It is aggravating to tote that decoy around and store.  Most of the time I don't use decoys, but they have been more effective for me than not when I have.

Jim

[Tail Feathers]

I would think your odds of better or it working well if there are multiple toms around.  If they travel together, they are more likely to come in and kick the newcomer's behind.  Pack mentality.

[G-12]

Two birds legally taken, and if he can sneak within range of a turkey in a field, good for him.  Sounds to me like you're an elitest who feels wveryone shoukd hunt your way.   

[RAY]

I have used them and prefer just a hen deke. My birds tend to stay at a distance when it is out. My friends have had better success with them. Just seems the gobbler would come to a hen and I don't want to complicate the deal by introducing a strutter. My 2 cents.

[Bob]

 
The sport is called turkey hunting not turkey killing

[G-12]

If we aren't hunting to kill them, then why do we spend so much money on guns, chokes, ammo, and sights to give oursleves an advantage, in order to kill more birds?

[RutnNStrutn]

Like a lot of things, when they work it's great and when they don't, it sucks.  I've had them run in and beat the crap out of them, I've had them skirt them just out of range, and I've had them turn around and run.  It's a gamble, but it pays to have an idea about the birds your after.  The boss may not like him and come right over.  My best luck in your situation has been getting the hens attention with yelping and even gobbling to get her to come check out a new boyfriend.  That can really piss off the lead gobbler.

I've had the exact same experiences. When it works, it's awesome, when it doesn't, it's a real bummer and you'll be wishing you'd left the strutter deke at home.

personal experience:
beginning of season= high success rate
late season= not so much

I'll agree with that one also. About the midway point in the season, I put the strutter away for the year.

I love to run-n-gun and I don't like to be weighted down.
Whatever you decide, Good luck to you. At the end of the day its what you feel comfortable with....

I have killed turks over dekes, both strutters and not. I've killed turks without dekes. I've killed turks by stalking them. I've never killed a turk out of a pop up blind, but have rarely used them. I also don't preach to others about what the acceptable methods of turkey hunting are. People's situations are vary greatly. Some have primo private land to hunt, others have so so private land to hunt, other have only public. Some hunt the majority of their seasons, while others have to stay in their home state, hunt public land, and only hunt the weekends when they are off of work. Another difference is what state you hunt. I've hunted in 10 states so far, and found the northeastern Easterns, Rios and Merriams to be the best gobbling birds. For them, running n' gunning is a great tactic, which I have used and love doing. But to my experience, down here in Dixie, the Easterns and Osceolas don't gobble as much. Therefore I use decoys and do a lot of sitting and waiting in good areas. Would I prefer to run n' gun? Of course!! That has been a blast when I've done it!! But when you are hunting birds that don't gobble that much, you'll spook, and educate a lot more birds than you kill. I like the last sentence in your quote Tomstopper, that, in my opinion, is how we should all feel about our fellow hunters. Kumbaya!!!

[nativeks]

Seen both sides. I am running the Killer B. Brother borrowed it and killed his bird this year in less than an hour. It came running straight to it right off the roost. I had a hunt that 2 jakes ran straight to it, hung around then had 2 toms run straight to it and I missed. ALso had a couple hunts that the birds would hit 60 yards an mull around. One would build up courage and come 10 yards closer then run back. All about the birds mood. Did have guys stop and try to stalk it. I saw what they were doing 400 yards out, so I just picked it up and put it away. Some days it works, some days it doesn't but hey that's turkey hunting.

[TarheelTurk]

Think my opinion is about like everyone else if I works great! When it don't it's down hill fast .... Actually I think it depends on the individual personality of the gobbler/s in your area , I have seen em run to kick their rear and I too have seen turkeys run the other way


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[surehuntsalot]

don't use them,a hen or a jake every once in awhile